FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL 76, NO. 3 



color (usually white I. The blotches are located as 

 follows: (Figure 16): 1) one round blotch around 

 the base of the dorsal fin; 2 1 one round blotch 

 middorsally about midway between the dorsal fin 

 and pectoral base; 3) one round blotch above each 

 pectoral fin along the dorsolateral surface just 

 posterior to the fin base; 4) a broad transverse bar 

 across the occipital region; 5) an irregularly 

 shaped blotch immediately below the occipital 

 blotch, between the eye and pectoral fin; and 6) a 

 bar which crosses each eye downward and usually 

 connects with a broad gular band across the ven- 

 tral surface just behind the mouth (the bar which 

 crosses the eye does not extend across the interor- 

 bital). The chin barbels are located within the 

 gular band, but are light in color. Postpectorally 

 the lateral surfaces are marked with small 

 ( <pupil diameter) spots associated with the spine 

 axils. No spots dorsally or ventrally (except in 

 specimens <50 mm). Specimens of 100 mm may be 

 mottled on the caudal peduncle and often have 

 four spots on the iris. Ventrum white and fins 

 unmarked except at bases. A 24.5-mm specimen is 

 light brown dorsally and covered everywhere (ex- 

 cept fins) with small (ca. — pupil) dark spots. The 

 spots are less dense on the belly and are not as- 

 sociated with the spine bases. Color in life essen- 

 tially the same as above but fins yellow. 



The largest specimen examined was 349 mm. 

 However, de Beaufort (1962) reported specimens 

 of 500 mm, and Masuda et al. (1975) reported a 

 specimen of 600 mm total length. 



Eggs, larvae, and pelagic stages. — No information. 

 However, the 24.5-mm specimen mentioned above 



which has "pelagic spotting" may be a pelagic 

 juvenile (the collection data are incomplete). The 

 smallest specimen definitely found inshore was 94 

 mm. 



Holotype. — Shaw (1804) based his description on 

 that of Lacepede ( 1798), who in turn had based his 

 on a manuscript description by Commerson. The 

 fish illustrated by Commerson is apparently lost. 



Distribution . — Diodon liturosus ranges through- 

 out the Indo-West Pacific (Figure 14) from South 

 Africa to Japan and the Society Islands, but is 

 absent from Hawaii. Areas of overlap with the 

 closely related D. holocanthus are along the edges 

 of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. 



Remarks. — Diodon liturosus usually has been 

 considered a junior synonym of D. holocanthus 

 (e.g., Le Danois 1959) but if recognized as a dis- 

 tinct species has generally been called D. hleekeri. 

 Shaw's (1804) description is short and based al- 

 most totally on color. However, several details 

 clearly indicate which species is involved. The dis- 

 tribution and number of spots, particularly the 

 "two transverse ones, the first situated beneath 

 the eye and the second between the eye and pec- 

 toral fin" (Shaw 1804:436, emphasis mine), and 

 the "dusky cloud" marking the throat clearly 

 eliminate D. holocanthus, and apply only to D. 

 Hturosus as described above. In addition, Lacepede 

 ( 1798) gave a pectoral fin ray count of 24 which is 

 rare for D. holocanthus (Lacepede did not provide 

 a Latin binomial in his description of Le Diodon 

 Tachete). 



Figure 16. — Dorsal view of Diodon lituro.sus. note lack of interorbital bar. Same specimen as in 



Figure 15. 



554 



